Category: Education

Winning a national title is no easy task, especially when rowing against the best four-year universities. Eleven such national titles are nothing short of an amazing feat. To compete for a twelfth national title takes those accomplishments completely over the top and to the next level. While the Orange Coast College rowing team is hardly known locally, they have made their mark on the national level.

Rowing is one of the few sports left that amateurs can lay claim to. For those who love the sport, and fortunate enough to participate, it requires a balance of power, grace, and an ability to work as a single entity. It also requires tremendous concentration. The 2017 national titles held rowing competition in Lake Lanier, Ga. Daniel Amado, 22 and a graduate of Los Alamitos High School, was captain of his rowing team. He broke his back and was only able to return to the sport he loves during the 2017 rowing season.

Rowing is a fascinating sport. Sweat pours from the body, muscles ache, and eight oars penetrate in unison as a 60-foot arrow cuts gracefully thorough still water. It is as if there is only one thought and one movement. Rowing is clearly an aesthetic experience. Rowers feel at one with those calm mornings where one person, being off by a single heartbeat, can disrupt the entire team’s rhythm.

OCC is located in Costa Mesa, California and is one of the nation’s top-ranked two-year colleges. A high percentage of the school’s graduates go on to universities and private colleges throughout the country. Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/orangecoastcollege/